Howard County Arts Council Announces Juror for Paint It! Ellicott City 2017 and the Gino Award for Juried Artists

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) is pleased to announce that the juror for its annual plein air painting event, Paint It! Ellicott City 2017, is award-winning artist Hai-Ou Hou. Born in Beijing, where she studied painting and ceramics at the prestigious Central Institute of Fine Art and Design, Hai-Ou received her MFA from Towson University after immigrating to the United States. Her work has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally and hangs in many museums, corporate, and private collections. She has been a Quick Draw judge for a number of local plein air competitions, and has participated in dozens of plein air events as an artist.

HCAC is also pleased to announce the return of The Gino Award in 2017. Named in honor of artist Gino Manelli by his son Julian Manelli, the Gino Award is a $2,000 cash prize that will be given to 1-2 artists participating in Paint It! Ellicott City 2017. A $500 award will also be presented in Gino’s name to a participant in the Quick Draw competition.

Gino Manelli (1915–2010) was an avid artist and cyclist who maintained an art studio in Ellicott City for nearly four decades. In the span of his seventy-year artistic career, Gino created landscapes, portraits, and still lifes in a broad range of media and styles. Known for his dramatic use of color and a dynamic palette knife, he interpreted the world with a mature sensibility, creating emotional, engaging artwork.

Born in 1915 in Philadelphia, Gino later moved to Italy, became a semi-pro cyclist, and used his purse winnings to pay for his art education. After returning to the United States in 1954, he opened his art studio in Ellicott City in 1972, which he admired for its picturesque setting of hills, buildings, and atmosphere. He began to teach art, sharing his love and knowledge of drawing and painting. When not at his easel he continued cycling through the challenging hills and curves of the city, often with a paint box strapped to his back. Gino passed away in 2010. His work can be found in numerous galleries in the United States and Europe.

Paint It! Ellicott City is presented by HCAC and also supported by Howard County Tourism, the Ellicott City Partnership, and the Howard County Public School System. The event will take place this year from July 6-10. Over the course of the weekend, juried artists will set up their easels throughout Ellicott City’s historic district and ‘paint the town’ as they vie for a minimum of $4,000 in total awards, including the $2,000 Gino Award. Community artists are invited to join the fun as part of the Open Paint-Out taking place concurrently. The weekend will also include a Quick Draw competition, held on Saturday July 8.

On July 10, HCAC will host a special reception from 6–8pm to celebrate the opening of an exhibit of the juried artists’ work at the Howard County Center for the Arts. The evening will feature the presentation of awards by the juror as well as a one-night exhibit of work created during the Open Paint-Out. The juried artists’ exhibit will run through August 11.

The deadline for entries for the juried portion of Paint It! Ellicott City 2017 is April 28. Entry instructions can be found at https://goo.gl/mOx2Vf. For more information on this and other Arts Council programs, email info@hocoarts.org, or call 410-313-2787.